Belmont Contenders Work in New York

It was a busy morning May 25 at Belmont Park for trainer Todd Pletcher as he breezed a number of stakes contenders in preparation for upcoming assignments in the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival set for June 6-8.

Wertheimer and Frere's homebred Spinoff will make his next start June 8 in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) after finishing a disappointing 18th in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) on a sloppy track.

The son of Hard Spun  breezed five furlongs in :59.91 in company with fellow 3-year-old stablemate Last Judgment, ranking second out of 28 runners at the distance.

"I thought (Spinoff) worked well," said Pletcher. "I think the main track was a bit fast, but he galloped out (to six furlongs) in 1:24 and change and a mile in 1:37 and change, so it was the kind of big work we were looking for from him today."

Last Judgment, a son of Congrats  owned by Mathis Stable and Madaket Stables, broke his maiden in his second start in February at Gulfstream Park and followed up with an allowance win March 16 at Oaklawn Park.

Following a ninth-place finish as the even-money favorite in the May 4 Pat Day Mile Stakes Presented by LG and E and KU (G3) at Churchill Downs, Last Judgment is expected to target the $150,000 Easy Goer Stakes for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles June 8.

"We have him penciled in for the Easy Goer at the moment," said Pletcher. "He looked good this morning, and that's encouraging. His race in the Pat Day was probably the most disappointing performance I've seen in a long time from a horse that trained like he did leading into it. I don't know if it was leaving from post 14 or what, but he never tightened the bridle at any stage."

Intrepid Heart, pointing for the Belmont Stakes following a third-place finish in the May 11 Peter Pan Stakes (G3), posted his first breeze back Saturday when he completed four furlongs in :49.16 with the addition of blinkers. The Tapit  colt breezed in company with Outshine, a Malibu Moon  colt who last ran ninth in the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G2).

Also working Saturday for Pletcher was multiple graded stakes winner Prince Lucky, a Corinthian gelding who was clocked in :48.82 and finished sixth in the May 4 Westchester Stakes (G3) in his most recent start.

"I thought (Intrepid Heart's) workout was very good," Pletcher said. "It was his first time with blinkers and he seemed to be a little bit more focused, but not headstrong, so we got the response we were looking for. I thought he put in a nice move toward the end of the work, and he had a nice gallop out as well.

"Prince Lucky didn't quite get to finish his gallop out due to the loose horse siren that went off, but I thought he also worked well. We'll see how he comes back next week before deciding on a race for him."

Marconi completed his first breeze since winning the May 9 Flat Out Stakes. The son of Tapit also visited the main track, breezing four furlongs in :49.82 with his next target the $400,000 Woodford Reserve Brooklyn Invitational (G2).

"We didn't want to do too much today, and I thought it was a good effort from him," said Pletcher. "We're looking at the Brooklyn for him, so we'll see how he comes out of the work."

Making a visit to the inner turf for Pletcher was Bortolazzo Stable's graded stakes winner Bellavais, who breezed four furlongs in :49.31 and is targeting a start in the $700,000 Longines Just a Game (G1T) following a fifth-place finish in the Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland.

"I thought it was a nice, consistent work from her," Pletcher said of the Tapit mare. "We're getting her ready for the Just a Game. She ran pretty well here last fall (to win an Oct. 24 allowance) going a mile on the turf, so we'll try to do that here again. It'll be a tough assignment, but we'll give her a try."

On Friday, Pletcher sent multiple graded stakes winner Coal Front to the main track for his fourth workout since returning from Dubai after winning the Godolphin Mile Sponsored By Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City-District One (G2) at Meydan.

The 5-year-old son of Stay Thirsty breezed five furlongs in 1:00.66 in preparation for an upcoming start in the $1.2 million Runhappy Metropolitan Mile (G1).

"I thought he had an especially good work as well," said Pletcher. "He's come out of it well, and he seems to be in good shape in what's looking like a very deep race, but he's certainly earned his way to be in there."

Also expected for a loaded renewal of the Met Mile are Mitole, McKinzie, Firenze Fire, Promises Fulfilled, and Thunder Snow.

Sir Winston Breezes at Belmont; War of Will to Work at Keeneland

Canadian Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will saddle both War of Will and Sir Winston in the Belmont Stakes.

Casse said Gary Barber's War of Will, who was a powerful winner of the May 18 Preakness Stakes (G1), is in good order in Kentucky, where he is preparing for the third leg of the Triple Crown.

"He trained this morning and it went well. He's been through a lot the past couple weeks, so right now we're just trying to gather up energy and get him feeling good," said Casse.

Casse said the War Front  colt is likely to arrive in New York June 3 ahead of the Belmont.

"The plan is for him to breeze on Friday (May 31) or Saturday (June 1) the week prior to the Belmont at Keeneland. If all goes as planned, he'll get on a van Sunday night or Monday afternoon to New York to arrive for the week of the Belmont," said Casse. "We've had pretty good luck doing it that way, not only with him, but with others. I talked it over with Gary Barber and (assistant trainer) David Carroll, and that's the way we're going to do it."

Tracy Farmer's homebred Sir Winston, a chestnut son of Awesome Again , worked five furlongs in company with fellow Farmer-owned Catch a Thrill Saturday morning on the Belmont main track.

With Joel Rosario up, Sir Winston tracked the stakes-placed Catch a Thrill before finishing strong to stop the clock in 1:01.48 just in front of Catch a Thrill in 1:02.31.

"I was very happy with Sir Winston this morning," said Casse. "He's never been much of a work horse, but since he's started running better recently, he's become a better work horse. I would call that an A+ work for him this morning—it might be a B for most horses, but for him it's an A+."

Assistant trainer Jamie Begg, who saddled Sir Winston at Casse's New York base, said that the improving colt came out of the work in good order.

"He came out of it well. We wanted to give him a good finishing work. We're not looking for track-record speed in any regard, it's just the fact that he comes home and builds some confidence," Begg said.

Sir Winston earned a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure last out when rallying for second behind Global Campaign in the grade 3 Peter Pan.

"More importantly, he ran the last quarter of a mile, after going a mile and an eighth, in 23 and 2," said Casse.

Begg said that Sir Winston is training in the morning in a style that matches his afternoon efforts.

"We work him the way he likes to run," said Begg. "Let him fall away from the pole and then run when you need to run, and he gets a lot more out of the gallop out. He seems to have responded to that in his works."

Tax Records Easy Belmont Work

Trainer Danny Gargan was looking for an easy move out of graded stakes winner Tax Saturday morning, and that's exactly what he got as the 3-year-old gelded son of Arch went a half-mile in :49.87 over the Belmont Park training track.

Under mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the lower 60s, Gargan sent Tax to the training track at 7:40 a.m. for his first serious work since running 14th in the Kentucky Derby.

"It was just a maintenance work. I wanted a nice, easy work," Gargan said. "He gallops out like he always does, nice and strong. We worked him by himself so he wouldn't go too fast.

"When he was in company, he grabs the bridle and works more impressive, but today we just wanted to keep him going forward. We'll come back next week and work him and get a stronger breeze in him. Hopefully we can work on Saturday next week. I'll work him with another horse next week so he gets a lot more out of it."

The Kentucky Derby finish was the only off-the-board effort for Tax, who won the Withers Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack before a runner-up placing in the Wood Memorial.

"We didn't do much running in the Derby. I expected the track to be sealed tight, so I told him to stay on the inside, and they harrowed it and it was kind of a disaster," Gargan said. "We didn't do that right thing by getting on the rail when it was so deep. It is what it is, and we'll just move on to the next race. Hopefully, the Belmont will be a good track that day and we can show that we can run with these horses."

Owned by R.A. Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Hugh Lynch, and Corms Racing Stable, Tax was bred in Kentucky by Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider. He is out of the Giant's Causeway broodmare Toll and comes from the same family as two-time grade 1-winning millionaire Elate.

Joevia Under Consideration for Belmont; Mind Control to Woody Stephens

Following a win in the Long Branch Stakes at Monmouth Park two weeks ago, trainer Greg Sacco said Joevia is possible for the Belmont Stakes.

Owned by Jeff and Michael Fazio, the 3-year-old son of Shanghai Bobby went gate-to-wire in the 1 1/16-mile Long Branch over a sloppy track, where he recorded a career-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure.

Joevia recorded his first work since the Long Branch Saturday and went a half-mile in :48 4/5 over the Monmouth main track. Prior to the Long Branch, Joevia raced in the Wood Memorial, where he crossed the wire seventh but was disqualified to last due to interference caused in the first turn.

"He worked well this morning, cooled out great, scoped well," Sacco said. "He'll have one more work next Saturday. He's not definite (for the Belmont Stakes), but we'll talk it over with the owners and make a decision. It was nice to get him back into the win column after the sort of disaster he caused in the Wood. We know he's a better colt than that. He's still learning and improving with each start."

A first-out graduate over a sloppy main track at Monmouth last July, Joevia was twice stakes-placed following his career debut. He did not race again until the following February but was beaten a neck by Haikal in the Jimmy Winkfield at Aqueduct. He then raced back a month later in Laurel Park's Private Terms Stakes, where he was a distant second to Alwaysmining.

"It's a talented group of colts, but our colt is talented as well," Sacco said. "He ran very well in the Long Branch. He trained at Belmont all winter and really went well over the surface, which can be a tricky surface."

Sacco has committed grade 1 winner Mind Control to the $400,000 Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) on the Belmont undercard.

Owned by Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stables, the 3-year-old son of Stay Thirsty was a 10-1 upset winner of the Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course last summer. Last out, he scored at graded stakes caliber once more when he won the Bay Shore Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct.

On Friday morning, Mind Control drilled five furlongs in 1:00 3/5 at Monmouth, his fourth work since the Bay Shore.

"He worked super, he galloped out strong," Sacco said. "We're looking forward to going back to New York with him. He's been training great and really has blossomed these past few months."

Master Fencer Arrives at Belmont Park

Katsumi Yoshizawa's homebred Master Fencer, a Japan-bred son of Just a Way, arrived at Belmont Friday night from Keeneland, where he has been training toward the 1 1/2-mile "Test of a Champion" following his sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

With Julien Leparoux up for the Derby, Master Fencer was last of 19 at third call before launching a menacing bid up the rail to finish seventh, defeated just four lengths. When Maximum Security was disqualified, Master Fencer was elevated to sixth, besting the effort of the two previous Japan-based horses in the Derby, Lani (9th in 2016) and Ski Captain (14th in 1995).

Racing manager Mitsuoki Numamoto said Master Fencer should appreciate the added distance in the Belmont.

"In Kentucky, after the race, his jockey Julien said, 'I needed one more furlong,'" said Numamoto.

Reunited with Leparoux in the Belmont, Master Fencer will have two additional furlongs to demonstrate his late flourish.

"Maybe we wouldn't have beaten Maximum Security and Country House, but he has a strong late kick. His movement is not like a sprinter. We asked Julien last time to please put pressure on him for the last six furlongs. He has a really strong heart," Numamoto said.